Shoe construction



Nov. 22; 1938. A. E. PIEKENBROCK 2,137,459-

SHOE OONSTRUCT ION Filed fab. 35, 1937 s Shets-Sheet 1 1/2/0057 Z: Ew /mm;

M RQ W Nov. 22, 1938. A. E. PIEKENBROCK SHOE CONSTRUGT ION Filed Feb. 25, 1937 3 Sheds-Sheet 2 A. E. PIEKENBROCK' Nov. 22, 1938..

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 25, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE CONSTRUCTION Anthony E. Piekenbrock, Dubuquc, Iowa, assignor 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to shoe constructions and particularly to improvements in longitudinal arch supports.

This is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial Number 90,764., filed July 15, 1936. It is one of the objects of the invention to pro-- duce a shoe which will support and strengthen the longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot and prevent the same from flattening or sagging.

Another object resides in providing a shoe with a supporting structure which is built into the shoe between the inner and outer soles and prevents the shoe and particularly its shank portion from being deformed under the weight of the wearer and the pounding, bending, grinding; and tearing stresses to which a shoe is exposed when in use. i

It is another object to enlarge the normal supporting surface of the shoe which is in contact with the ground and to maintain the said supporting surface at an even level with the heel of the shoe.

A further object consists in providing a shoe with a substantially incompressible'built-in arch support. Still another object resides in constructing a shoe in which the toes of the foot have the tendency to lie parallel to the ground and at a substantially even level with the ball portionthereof when the wearer is in standing position.

The invention has for another object toprovide a shoe with an insole which rests evenly upon the sole of the foot and'cooperates with an archsupporting insert to counteract the normal tendency of the toe portion of the shoe to bend upwardly.

Still another object is to construct a shoe in which the lower surface of the shank portion extends at an even level with the ball portion of the outer sole and the tread of the heel and to a point approximately half way between the ball and the forward edge of the heel. r

A further object is to produce a shoe with a downward projection at the shank portion which is so shaped and constructed as to be unnoticeable when the wearer rests his feet on the ground.

It constitutes another object of the invention to provide the shank portion of the outer and inner soles of a shoe with recesses and to insert an arch support therein so as to be firmly and immovably enclosed by said soles.

A still further object resides in providing a ,shoe with a shank support which reinforces and supports the insole, the insole lips, and the portions ofthe lining, the counter, and the upper which are stitched to the insole lips by means of the inseam, and which particularly protects the inseam itself from breaking.

Another object consists in molding the outer sole so as to follow the lower contours of the insert, and to fit snugly over the same and conceal the same. i

The invention includes still another object which resides in shaping and dimensioning the insert and the shank portion of the outer sole so that the arch supporting portion of said outer sole is only partly in contact with the ground although it supports the entire shank portion extending from a line adjacent and toward the rear of the ball portion toward the forward edge of the heel portion.

A further object resides in combining an archsupporting insert of the type described with a steel insert which extends a certain distance into the heel portion of the shoe and is secured intermediate the outer and inner soles thereof for increasing the stability of the supporting structure. V

Still further objects reside in theparticular construction ofthe arch-supporting insert,.1"ts particular shape and its particular positioning and securement between the outer and inner soles.

These and. other objects will be described more in detail in the following disclosure and be shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a shoe constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the shoe shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is abottom View of the shoe with the outer sole removed.

Fig. 4 is across-section along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a bottom .view similar to Fig. 3 but Without the supporting insert.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged rear sectional view through the shank along line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a view similar to that of Fig. 6, but along line 'l--'l of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the insert.

9 is a side view thereof, and

Fig. 10 is a top view of the insert.

Fig. 11 is a section along line ll-|l of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a section along line 12-42 of Fig. 9. 5

ther described. The insole I0 is provided with a sewing lip I2 which is formed of two halves which are out out from the insole I8, bent at approximately right angles to the body of the insole and secured together. The upper 2, counter 4, lining 6, and welting 8 are secured to the sewing lip I2 by means of the inseam I6. An insert I8 of substantially rigid, incompressible, solid material such as a block of leather, highly compressed cork, hard rubber, or the like, is secured to the insole I0 within thechannelformedby the outer and inner portions of lip I2 so as to be snugly surrounded thereby. Insert I8, or at least its upper surface 28, is designed to extend from a line 22 slightly rearwardly of a line drawn be-,

tween the points on which the outside and inside balls of the foot rest to a line 24 drawn near the forward edge of the heel 26 but spaced forwardly therefrom. The front and rear channel portions of insole I0 intermediate lip I2 and adjacent the forward and rear edges of insert I8 are each filled out with a layer of filling material 28. The top layer of insert;- I8 isthusclosely surrounded at all ,sides and built into insole II! to which it may be secured 'by' cement along its entire upper surface to prevent any movement thereof within recess 30 formed by lip I-2 and filling material 28. V g

The upper surface 28 of insert I8 is shaped in conformity with the longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot of :the-wearen. It is therefore of sinusoidal shape in longitudinal direction, as shown in Figs. 4 and 9 of the drawings, and of concave shape in transverse direction as shown in Figs. 6, 8, and 11. The forward portion of this transverse arch near the ball portion 32 of the shoe is curved only sllghtly-and substantially symmetrically, while towardthe rear the crest of the curve is located near the outside of the shoe, as indicated by numeral 34, in conformity with the shape of the transversearchof the foot.

Insert I8 is designed to be ,of such a height that the lower surface 36 thereof ls-absolutely even with the lower surface of the ball portion 32 of the insole including filler 28. The sides 38 of, the insert are flaring outwardly and upwardly from lower surface which extendsvfrom itsfront edge 22 to a line 40, drawn at approximately half the distance from the line 22 to the forward edge of the heel 25. The rear side, 42 of theinsert may be of a flaring shapesimilar tosides- 38 or inclined relative to surface 36 toward rear edge 24-. Viewlng insert I8 from the rear, for example. as in Figs. 6, l1, and 12, it will be seen that the same assumes substantially a shapesimilar to a keystone.

It is a special feature of the present invention to provide the upper surface 20 of the insert adjacent its outer edges with grooves or cut-away portions 44. The inner edges 46 of these grooves are spaced a distance from each other which is equal to the distance between the inner sides of the outer and inner parts of lip I2,- and grooves 44 are of a depth equal'to the height of lip I2 from the lower surface ,of insole III. Thus, insert I8 can be inserted between the outer and inner parts of lip. I2 and is gripped tightly thereby. The grooved portions 44 are of such a width that the outer edges 48 of the insert overlap the upper edge of lip I2 and the innerstitched portions 2 4 and 8 of the upper, the countenand the lining, and possibly also the inner stitched portion 8 of th welting. By this construction, the insert I8 supports and partially encloses lip I2 and stitched portions 2 4 6 and possibly also 8 and thereby supports inseam I6 and protects the same from braking. When the wearer of shoes in which the present invention is incorporated is in standing position, inseam I6 and stitched portions 2 4 6 and 8 are supported solidly on the ground and the weight of the wearer tends to increase the vise-like action of the outer portions 50 of the insole and the projecting portions 52 of the insert so that the inseam I6 and the stitched portions 2 4 6 and 8 are securely gripped at least on three sides. Inasmuch as welting 8 is usually of relatively strong material, the same constitutes a fourth retaining wall so that the inseam and the stitched portions are encased tightly on all sides.

. The insole I0 is shaped primarily in conformity with the longitudinal arch of the foot of the wearer, and to some extent also in conformity with the transverse metartarsal arch. The shape of the shank portion of the insole is identical with that of the upper surface 20 of insert I8, and the convex portion 54 of the insole rests firmly and evenly against the arch portion of the sole.

The outer sole 56 is molded so as to provide a cavity .58 for insert I8 and to fit snugly over the insole I8 including filler 28, and the downwardly projecting insert I8, and extends from the front of the shoe to the rear end thereof. The outer sole 58 is securely attached to the inner sole I8, including filler 28, and to the insert I8, so that the latter forms with insole l0 and outer sole 58 a rigid entity. Aheel 26 is attached to the heel portion of the outer sole 56 and is designed to be of such a height that the tread surface of the outer sole extends from the rear edge 62 of the supporting projection 64 at least to the ball portion of the outer sole.

Since the outer sole is molded to fit closely under the insole III and insert I8, the lateral sides 66 and the rear side 68 of the shank portion of the outer sole are likewise inclined upwardly from the tread surface of the projection 64 and flaring outwardly toward the welting 8 and rearwardly toward the upper front edge ID of heel 26.

Through this grading or flaring of the lateral and rear sides 66 and 68, the arch-supporting projection B4 is rendered inconspicuous to such an extent that the difference between a shoe constructed according to the present invention and an ordinary shoe can hardly be noticed from an angl of less than 40 from the vertical, and then only if the onlooker is aware of the existence of the support.

For increasing the stability of the construction, and for reinforcing the relatively weak portion of the soles intermediate insert I8 and the forward edge of heel 26, the length of insert I8 may be extended by combining the same with a steel insert I2 which extends a certain distance into the heel portion of the shoe. For securing this auxiliary insert I2 to the main insert I8 without increasing the thickness of insert I8, the latter is provided with a recessed portion I4 at the upper surface 20 thereof, which has a depth equal to the thickness of insert 12.

Auxiliary insert I2 is shaped so as to form a continuity of the upper surface 28 of insert I8 without interrupting the smoothness thereof. The portion I6 of insert I2 which is located within recess "I4 of insert I8 is secured thereto by any convenient means, while portion I8 extends rearwardly from insert I8 into the heel portion of the shoe where it is secured between the inner sole I0 and the outer sole 56 in a recess provided in the inner sole, or the filling material, 1

respectively, which forms a part of the inner: sole.

In conclusion it iswell to, reiterate theprincipal feature of the present invention which. resides in an arch support of solid, rig-id,-and substantially incompressible material which consists of an insert I8 built into the1shoe between the outer and inner soles and secured within a recess provided in the inner sole and a cavity 58 in the outer sole which'is molded to fit .tightly over the insert. The lower surface. of this arch support treadsabsolutelyv even with the tread surface of 'a large portion. of the sole and the tread surface of the heel. By means of this invention, the support of thefoot which normally rests upon theouter and inner balls and the heel, is materiallyenlarged by using. the arch portion of the foot together with the ball and heel portions as supporting points or. surfaces. Because of the. inclined shape of. the lateral and rear sides of the insert and the corresponding shape of the arch-supporting projection 52 of the outer sole, the entire insole I0, and thereby the. entire sole of the foot of the wearer, is supported, although the actual tread surface of the projection 52 of the outer sole is relatively small. Such inclination also reduces the weight of the shoe materially and. improves the appearance thereof to such an extent that the shoe when worn cannot be distinguished under ordinary conditions from a shoe of customary construction.

A further important feature resides in the fact that the substantially incompressible arch support retains the arch of the foot in its natural position and does not permit the same to flatten out under the weight of the wearer. Consequently, the toe portion of the foot does not have the tendency to turn upwardly when the wearer is in standing position, but rather urges the toe portion of the shoe downwardly. The toe portion of the shoe therefore retains its original position substantially parallel to the ground with its tread surface at a substantially even level with the tread surface of the remaining part of the outer sole including the archsupporting projection 52 and the tread surface of the heel. Since the shank portion of the shoe can, under no circumstances, be broken down under the Weight of the wearer, the shoe retains its original shape and pleasing appearance after having been worn for a considerable length of time.

Last, but not least, another important advantage of the present invention resides in encasing and supporting those portions of the shoe which are secured together by the inseam and in pr0- tecting the inseam itself from tearing. Inasmuch as the last mentioned result is obtained through the same element which produces all the previously described results, that is by insert l8, it will be seen that this element performs the triple function of supporting the arch of the foot, of supporting and protecting the inseam, and of improving the appearance and increasing the life of the shoe.

I claim: 7

1. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having a shank portion, means on said inner sole adjacent the edge thereof and projecting downwardly therefrom, a lining, a counter, an upper and a welting, means for securing said lining, counter, upper and welting to said first means, an arch-supporting insert of solid and rigid material secured to said inner sole and rigidly supporting said shank portion, said in sert having outwardly projecting portions for supporting said'first means, said lining, counter, upper, and welting and said securing means, and an outer sole secured to saidwelting and enclosing said insert.

2. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having a shank portion, a projection extending; from the lower surface of said inner sole adjacent but spaced from the edge thereof, and

comprising an -outer and an inner portion, a

lining, a counter, an upper and a welting, a line of stitching securing said lining, counter, upper and welting to said projection, an arch-supporte ing insert of solid and rigid material secured to said inner sole intermediate said. outer, and inner portions for rigidly supporting said shank portion, said insert having outwardly projecting portions unitary with said insert for supporting said projection, said lining, counter, upper and welting. and said stitching, and'an outer sole secured to said welting and tightly enclosing said insert. i i 1 x 3. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having a shank portion, propections extending from the lower surface of said inner sole adjacent but spaced from the outer and inner edges thereof and forming a part of said inner sole, a lining, a counter, an upper and a welting, each having end portions, a line of stitching securing all of said end portions to said projections, an arch-supporting insert of solid and rigid material rigidly secured to said inner sole intermediate said projections, said insert having portions tightly and rigidly enclosing said projections, said end portions and said stitching on two sides, and an outer sole secured to said welting and tightly enclosing and surrounding the same.

4. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having a shank portion, said portion being of convex shape in longitudinal direction to conform with the longitudinal arch of a foot and of concave shape in transverse direction to conform substantially with the transverse metatarsal arch of a foot, projections extending from the lower surface of said inner sole adjacent but spaced from the outer and inner edges thereof, and forming a part of said inner sole, said projections forming a recessed portion intermediate thereof, a lining, a counter, an upper and a welting each having end portions, a line of stitching securing all of said end portions to said projections, an arch-supporting insert of solid and rigid material having an upper surface of a shape conforming to the shape of the shank portion of said inner sole, said insert being rigidly secured to said inner sole and being partly disposed within said recess and fitting tightly therein so as to press against the inner walls of said projections, said insert having laterally projec ing portions, the upper surface of said projecting portions, rigidly supporting said end portions and an outer sole having a downwardly extending projection at the shank portion thereof forming a cavity for said insert, said outer sole being secured to said welting and fitting tightly over the lower surfaces of said insole and said insert.

5. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having a shank portion, said portion being of convex shape in longitudinal direction to conform with the longitudinal arch of a foot and of concave shape in transverse direction to conform substantially with the transverse metatarsal arch of a foot,'projections extending from the lower surface of said inner sole adjacent but spaced from the outer and inner edges thereof,

and forming a part otsaid inner sole, said projections forming a recessed portion intermediate thereof, a lining, a counter, an upper and a welting each having end portions, a line or stitching securing all of said end portions to said projections, an arch-supporting insert of solid and rigid material having an upper surface of a shape conforming to the shape of the shank portion of said inner sole, said insert being rigidly secured to said inner sole and being partly disposed within said recess and fitting tightly therein so as to press against the inner walls of said projections, said insert having laterally projecting portions, the upper surface of said projecting portions, rigidly supporting said end portions, an outer sole having a downwardly extending projection at the shank portion thereof forming a cavity for said insert, said outer sole being secured to said welting and fitting tightly over the lower surfaces of said insole and said insert, and a heel secured to the heel portion of said outer sole, the tread surface of said outer sole being at an even level with the lower surface of said projection and the tread surface of said heel.

6. A shoe construction according to claim 5, further comprising a steel insert, said first insert having a recess in the upper surface thereof, said inner sole having a recess at the lower side of the heel portion thereof, said steel insert being secured within said last two recesses.

7. In a shoe construction according to claim 5, said insert having inclined sides and an inclined rearward end, said outer sole being molded to correspond to the shape of said insert whereby said projection is rendered inconspicuous, and a steel insert, said first insert having a recess in the upper surface thereof, said inner sole having a recess at the lower side of the heel portion thereof and rearwardly ofsaid insert, said steel insert being secured within said last two recesses for reinforcing the reduced rearward end of said insert.

ANTHONY E. PIEKENBROCK. 

